For college students in chemistry classes design a project focusing on the copper content of pennies from various eras. Gather pennies from before 1982, when pennies were made with 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc and pennies from after 1982, when they were made with 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper. Using a variety of methods, such as iodometry or visible spectroscopy, students determine the copper content themselves.
Have biology students perform experiments related to amino acids and their various properties. Assign a random amino acid to students and have them determine the water solubility of the acid, its solubility in other liquids, its density, melting point and other properties. This project can be ongoing so students can find the time to operate equipment needed. If you do not tell them the amino acid they have, you can have them use the data they collect to determine which it is.
Challenge physics students to study the various properties of baseball bats and use their knowledge to determine the composition of bats that provide the most force for batting. Using bats of different sizes and compositions, students create an environment wherein baseball speed is constant, so the data is consistent. They can determine what parameters result in the highest bat speeds and draw conclusions based on their results.
A fun project for astronomy projects involves creating a planet and its environment and determining the type of lifeforms that would thrive on that planet. For example, if a student creates a planet with high gravity, the life forms of that planet would be relatively short because their bodies would be acting against those forces. Have students determine all aspects of a planet's environment, including its solar system, its proximity to a heat source, its atmosphere and its mass.